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| - As usual the cold air was the first thing that rose up to greet Kentaro as he exited his master’s quaint little shack, still in his Human body. Everywhere the sun shone brightly over the ice and snow of Monte’s Rosa, causing it to glitter as though it were an ocean of stars. It was breathtaking, though he’d quickly learned not to spend his time focusing on the horizon when he should be focusing on his training. And he nearly paid for his lack of focus on Garian; for the mountain-of-a-man was almost upon him with a strike that would have split him open had he not rolled to the side to evade it! “Good… you saw it coming. Assume you’re Fullbring and we will continue.” But did Garian give him time to assume it? No, that’d be too easy. “Do you expect your enemies to wait for you to access your powers? No you should not, so why should I?” He roared as another strike followed by a quick rotating strike using his wooden swords hilt to twist around to accommodate for Kentaro’s quick dive sent him trailing across the snow. Kentaro spent the first two to three minutes of the training avoiding strikes from a wooden practice sword, dodging through the snow and trying to put distance between himself and Garian, while trying to draw on his Fullbring powers. He kicked snow into his master’s eyes, dodged around his intended strike and then immersed himself in the “pool” like he had done yesterday. As he had hoped, the black specks formed on his arms and chest, neck and cheeks as the swirling dragon tattoo on his right arm popped from the skin and spread, finally laying into the skin were it had originated. The tattoo itself had been added by Garian per Kentaro’s request, because for the youngster it signalled a new start free of his past weaknesses and hatred: it signalled the fact he now embraced who his parents were without care of their accomplishments being gauged against his own. In a way it signalled his epiphany: his change of heart and the realization of everything that held him back from what really mattered in his life. The notion of it being his Fullbring focus brought a quickly hidden smile to his mentors face. “Dark Bridge,” Kentaro whispered. He didn’t know how he knew its name. He didn’t care. It was his and it was empowering. With it active he could… feel his Shinigami power, despite the little fact he wasn’t in his spiritual body. It wasn’t large or forceful… yet it was there and it felt like he could open himself fully to that current in time. The feeling he got was like a hazy reflection in a mirror, or the ripple on the lakes surface. It was there, but barely within reach or recognizable. Instinct took over, though it wasn’t like before when he instinctively used his Hollow powers and lost control, assuming a transformation more deadly and destructive than anything else he could imagine. He was in control of himself. For the first time in his life he was the master of his own powers. Last night he had stayed awake in his spiritual body. The Hollow powers he commanded since birth but could never understand how they came to reside within him felt calmer; almost like they had finally been released fully. Was it his Fullbring that made him feel that way? Or was it simply their time? For the next five, maybe seven minutes, the two moved around the other while striking with practice swords that repeated the sound of wood slapping wood every couple of seconds. Long gone were the days when Kentaro’s elbow bone would snap merely from a fraction of Garian’s strength. Even in his human body, when Garian used simple swings, he felt little pain blocking them. It was clear he had gotten stronger. “Garian,” Kenji said after a time, bringing his master to a stop with an upraised eyebrow. “I think I understand what my Fullbrings power is. Even now, I can feel my spiritual energy, my Shinigami power. If I push my senses, I can even hear Tenchikaimei’s voice whispering to me…” “Are you saying you could use your Shinigami abilities when using your Fullbring?” Garian asked, for once sounding just as surprised as Kentaro was. “You said its name was Dark Bridge earlier… Perhaps it literally bridges the worlds, but in what sense? If you can feel your Shinigami power whilst in your human body – basically the physical world – perhaps you can exist in both simultaneously?” Trust one as knowledgeable as Garian to arrive at such an idea in so short a time. The idea surprised the youngster. “But I thought that was impossible?” “Why would it be? No two people are the same, Kentaro… even twins.” Garian’s simple reply came. “Even should you and your twin share the same genes there will always be slight differences. Think of it in this context: What’s impossible for one person may be the easiest thing to perform in the world for another, while another still may find it difficult but doable. Only through time will you ever truly know. Now come, our chat is over.” So it was. Both master and student took up their positions, eyes meeting across the snow. Kentaro’s breathes came in slowly, but he was always aware of the pulsing feeling that were his Shinigami powers. It was like a whisper in his ear as well as a bright light just shining over his shoulder. So as he and Garian continued their drills, Kentaro performing more and more intricate swordsmanship as well as footwork, coupled with spell utilization and manipulation; the youngster kept drawing ever so slightly – piece by piece – on his Shinigami powers. Garian noticed all right. There was little else he could do. Practicing things in the human body was difficult, but what his senses were telling him would baffle most. Kentaro wasn’t an average human any longer. Slowly but surely his Shinigami form was beginning to overlap with his human state. So Garian pushed harder, forcing his student to reach for those powers – to push his limits. And this time he did snap his arm, but still he forced his young charge to continue. “You’ll experience worse than this rescuing Akiye,” Was the only thing the elder said in regards to his actions. So Kentaro did. This time he envisioned Akiye in his minds eye: her silver hair falling about her shoulder in ringlets, the sound of her voice, the colour of her eyes and the shape of her body. The vision then cut to her in chains in a cell, beaten and bruised, barely alive. His eyes snapped open and a soundless roar escaped his lips as all as one his power erupted! The suddenness of it was quickly overridden as Garian began chanting; all the while holding off the impending explosion with unspoken spells. In the heart of that torrent of spiritual and physical energy was Kentaro, his casual training garb replaced with the average clothing of a Shinigami – Tenchikaimei reflecting the suns light in his right hand. Unlike before the black specks now only covered his arms and chest, leaving his cheeks and neck free of markings. And from his body escaped a black mist-like energy that told Garian he had released his Shikai state, though he had done so without a command. With his chanting finished the explosion vanished and Kentaro emerged in a unified state, a form expressing both his human and spiritual form. “I’ll be damned!” Garian exclaimed, taken aback. “We we’re right. I can’t tell where you’re human form ends and your Shinigami form begins. It is as if you-” “Exist in both at a single time?” Kentaro finished with a question. He understood what his Fullbring was, it’s power. It literally bridged the gap between physical and spiritual, allowing him to exist as both in a single state. His Fullbring powers were as much a part of his spiritual strength now but there was something troubling him. He couldn’t seal it, nor could he seal Tenchikaimei. “What’s the matter, boy?” “I can’t deactivate my Fulbring or seal Tenchikaimei!” Kentaro replied, worry tingeing his tone thick. “I would like to hope you wouldn’t,” He replied. “Otherwise this would be a serious waste of my time. I had my suspicions as soon as you told me about that uncontrolled Hollow state you described, but until now I wasn’t sure. It appears I was correct however.” The elder began pacing, his large hand stroking his equally large chin in thought. “You see, you’ve fused your two sets of power. The physical and spiritual in a way that puts even my own Shinsei to shame. Your Hollow powers always stemmed from that Fullbring after all – the only explanation for you being able to use them in Shinigami form is that your powers were designed to be used as such. Now you’ll find they won’t manifest uncontrollably, because that is the completed state of your Fullbring and now both it and Tenchikaimei are constant.” Silence greeted him and seemed to stretch as Kentaro came to terms with what he had just been told. “So that’s why,” He finally understood why he had been born with Hollow powers. He’d been born with them because he’d been born with the power of Fullbring, a power which had been trying to manifest itself the second he left the womb. “Kage Rakka,” He whispered and promptly descended into his own shadow only to re-emerge from Garian’s. Once behind the grizzled, weather-beaten old man, Kentaro hefted Tenchikaimei and declared “Koshikuragariken”. Vivid black flames awoke upon his blades edge, the heat of which warmed his face and chest. It was true. He didn’t need to declare his Shikai command. It truly was a constant-release! “That will serve you well in your mission. The realm you intend to travel to prevents you activating your Shikai or Bankai because of a past incident involving the Dangai Precipice World. Activating your powers there is like asking for death… though one can use their powers freely should they activate it before entering. Remember that, Kentaro.” The giant turned and began walking towards his home, looping strides leaving Kentaro behind quickly. “In three more days you will leave to rescue her. In three days you will be ready. Now take up your stance.” When Garian returned he held his own Yaibanakaten in his hand. “Shine Majestically, Yaibanakaten.” The blade altered form, transforming into a more beautiful version of its sealed state that shone with the colours of orange, yellow and gold. “No longer are we sparring, Kentaro. For the next three days you will fight me as though your life depended on it… and know that it does. If I do not like what I see, or feel you are holding back, or lose the resolve your mission demands… then you will die.” The only reprieve before the storm was the healing light that mended Kentaro’s injuries, cured him of his exertions and restored his spiritual and physical strength to their fullest levels. He felt like he’d taken a bath, ate a large meal and slept like a baby; though that would soon change. “… Yes master. Koshikuragariken!” Master and student leapt towards the other, Kentaro’s life the prize. But it wasn’t just himself he was fighting for. Again the images of Akiye flashed through his mind and the young scion of the Shiba family clashed with his master in earnest for the first time in his life: For both were fighting to maim the other.
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